Sewing-machine.



A. BATES & A. E. RICHARDS.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I3. \913.

1,1 88389, Patented June 27, 1916.

M/T/VESSES j; M4 4 ARTHUR BATES ALFRED EDWARD RICI-IARDS, 0F LEICESTER, ENGLAND, AS-

SIGNORS T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A

- CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SEWING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR BATES and ALFRED EDWARD RICHARDS, subjects of the King of England, residing at Leicester, Leicestershire, England, have invented certain Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines used in the manufacture of boots and shoes and more particularly to that type Of IIlflClllIlG in WlllCh a curved needle is provided to effect the permanent stitching together of the sole and upper of turn Shoes. An example of a sewing machine of this type is what is known in the trade as the Goodyear welt and turn. shoe sewing machine and the stitch-forming devices of this machine are applicable with particular advantage to machines constructed in accordance with the present invention.

*The object of the present invention is the provision of a sewing machine of the above general type but which is so organized as to be capable of sewing an unlasted shoe upper permanently to a sole and which isv 'as to insure the correct relationship of the two parts. By the use of a machine constructed according to this invention shoes 'of this kind have their unlasted uppers and soles, without the use of a last, manipulated into a correct relationship of their adj acent edges and permanently sewn together at a single operation. In the present machine there is provision for securing an unlasted shoe upper, i, e. an'upper ofl" the last, permanently to a sole, the machine being characterized by a rotary or other horn adapted to support one face of su ce sive Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2'7, 1916..

Application filed February 13, 1913. Serial No. 748,148.

upper being outside in, if the work be a,

turn shoe) and a member that cooperates with the horn to hold the marginal portion of the upper against the other face of the sole and in such relationship to a preferably work-feeding or other curved needle that the barbed point of the said needle will pierce through both the margin of the upper and that surface only of the sole that is adjacent thereto to permanently stitch them together. The member cooperating with the horn may consist of a presser foot which may be so formed as to co-act with a .correspondin part on the horn to cause a portion of t e shoe bottom to be raised locally opposite the curved needle so that the needle may'penetrate both upper and sole without making too broad a seam. Conveniently, this presser foot may be of claw-like or bifurcated formation so as to engage the work at points displaced at each side of the point where the endof the horn engages it, and the said end of the horn may be formed or provided with a projection or button so thatwhen the work is pressed between the presser foot and'the horn a ridge, mound or projection in the work will be produced through which.

the needle can enter and then emerge near the point of entrance.

In accordance with a feature of this invention the arrangement of the horn and its cooperating member or presser foot, in a machine having the above mentioned characteristics or their broad equivalents for the described or similar work, is such that they are separated in a novel manner to permit the feed of the work. In the preferred construction the horn is operatively connected with the presser foot and so correlated that when the horn is depressed the presser foot is lifted. This arrangement provides that the work shall be freed more quickly and thoroughly for thepurpose of feeding, and for enabling a more ready manipulation of the upper and sole into correct relationship than is the case when the presser foot alone is moved.

In the machine hereinafter described the feed of the work is eifected by the curved needle. This is accomplished by mounting the needle-carrying lever in a slide arranged to have a horizontal motion imparted to it by appropriate mechanism, the connections for imparting the oscillatory movement to the needle being suitably arranged to permit of this horizontal movement. With certain classes of work and particularly with shoes having flexible soles it is found that the feed of the work by the curved needle is accomplished with greater efliciency and at the same time the machine is rendered simpler than it is with the usual feed devices and associated parts. When a curved needle is employed for the purpose of feeding the work as above set forth it is found that the feature of a combined lift of the presser foot with a depression of the horn is of particular advantage. This is by reason of the needle presser foot lifted. But it is considered tobe within the scope of the invention to employ such connections between the needle and either the born or the presser foot.

As hereinbefore stated the presser foot conveniently is bifurcated or claw-shaped; and it is so constructedthat sufficient space is afforded between'the limbs-of the same to allow for the feeding movement of the curved needle. Conveniently {an edge gage for the work is located between the said limbs, andthe said gage may be adjustable so-as to permit of variation in the distance fromthe, edge at which the stitching takes place. 4 The machine isalso provided with means for depressing the horn by a treadle to a greater extent than it is in the feed movement for the reception and removal of the work and conveniently a flost motion con nection is provided between the horn and the presser foot to' permit this extended movement to take place without raising the presser foot to-acor'responding extent. The lost motion connection may be yielding and an adjustable stop ma be provided to adjust the height to which t e presser foot may be lifted. These and other features of the invention will now be described as embodied in the illustrated machine; It is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is by way of illustration merely and not byway of limitation, since the invention could be embodied in other forms and the construction, disposition and operation of the parts could be varied without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the said drawings :Figure *1 is a side view of the machine, with parts in section, of suflicient of the stitch-forming mechanism of the well-known type ofGoodyear sewing machine to enable the invention to be understood; Fig. 2 is a detail plan of the shoe-engaging devices; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the parts closely adjacent to the shoe and of the shoe insection.

In the illustrated construction the sewing machine comprises a head 2 that supports the usual stitch-forming devices including a curved needle 3 and a looper 4 located above a curved horn 5 upon which thefworkis supported for the sewing operation.

The horn is shaped to enter a shoe and is mounted, preferably so as to be capable of rotation, to bring different parts of the shoe into operative relationship with the sewing devices. Further the horn is adapted to be depressed by connection with a treadle for the reception and removal of work and, as will appear later herein, is automatically depressed to a lesser extent to enable the work .to be fed. To this end the horn 5 is provided with a sleeve 6 that is received within a bore in a bracket 7 projecting from the base of'the head 2 and surrounds a supporting spindle 8 upon which it is capable of being rotated, for which purpose a ball bearing 9 is provided between the lower end of the. sleeve 6 and an enlargement 10 of the spindle 8. Relative vertical movement between the spindle and the sleeve is prevented by the boss 11 of an arm. 12 fixed to the spindle 8v by a bolt 13, this boss engaging in a recess in the upper end of the sleeve. The sleeve 6 is of sufficient length to permit of an up'and down motion in the bracket 7 and is raised and lowered by a toggle 1d, 15 the upper end of the link 14 being connected with the spindle 8 at 16 while the lower link 15 is centered at 17 in the bracket? and is in the form of a bell-crank lever the outwardly ektending'arm 18 of which is connected with a treadle. rod 20. A screw 21 threaded through the frame forms an abutment for the central joint of the toggle and acts as an adjustable stop to regulate the height to -whichthe horn will be raised, this raising being accomplished by aspring 19 that connects the arm 18 of'the bell-crank lever with the frame and tends to maintain the toggle straightened. The screw 21 'is provided with a lock nut 22 to maintain it in the position to which it has been adjusted.

From the foregoingit will be understood that the curved horn 5' is normally held in ralsed position, which is variable according to circumstances, by the spring 19 but that it can be lowered for the removal, insertion or manipulation of the work by the breakmg of the toggle by lowering the rod 20 through the operation of a treadle to which the rod is connected.

The horn is curved as aforesaid so as to extend within the shoe. and is'provided at its upper end with a projecting button 25 that forms a support. for the shoe sole. In the present construction the button is circular in plan and its upper surface is of spherical convex formation so as to ralse a portion of the shoe bottom into a mound.

Cooperating with the projecting button 25 is a presser foot or clamping device 26 which is bifurcated, as shown in Fig. 2, to form fingers 27, 28, arched in a vertical plane, and which, by engaging the work serve to press the upper and sole together and to deform the sole so as to provide a projection through which the curved needle 3 can penetrate. The claw 27 under which the work' first passes preferably is beveled in order to avoidmarring the work passes through a slotv in the portion 34 and screws into the said bracket. Extending under the presser foot is an enlargement 36 formed on the front of the shank portion 34 of the gage, this enlargement serving as a means for determining the distance between the line of stitches and the edge of the work and also assisting in positioning the upper in the desired relation to the sole immediately before the upper is secured thereto. That side of the enlargement 36 which first engages the work, i. e.,'the right-hand side as viewed by the o erator, is formed with anupstandlng lip 37 that abuts against the leading side of the presser foot, while another projection 38 extends upward between the fingers- 27, 28, as shown in Fig. 2. j

It is to; be understood thatin the use of the machine constructed according to this invention for the manufacture: of felt soled turn shoes the edge of the upperoverlaps the edge of the sole and in this position they are presented to the machine to be sewn and are afterward turned inside out.

In this embodiment of the invention the work is fed by the needle 40 which is of the curved type that in penetrating moves in the arc of a circle. For thus feeding the work the needle carrying lever 42 is mounted on a bracket 43 depending. from a slider 44 that is adapted to be moved'horlzontally lowering device.

toward the left-hand side of the machine after the needle has penetrated the work to feed the work, suitable mechanism being provided to accomplish this movement. To allow the feeding movement of the work by the needle the horn is lowered and this is effected by connections between the needle-actuating mechanism and the horn These connections may comprise a link 45 connected at one end to the lever 46 by which the needle is-oscillated through its arc and at the other end to an arm 47 loosely mounted at 17 on the stud or spindle on which is mounted the bell-crank lever forming the lower element 15 of the toggle. The lever 46 is pivoted at 48 to the machine frame and carries a .cam roll 49 that stands in a groove cut in the side of a cam disk mounted on .the main shaft. The movements thus imparted to the lever 46 are communicated to the needle by a link 50 universally jointed at one end to the needle-carrying lever 42 and at the other end to the lever 46." -The universal joints permit the'lateralmovement of the needle to feed the work. The arm 47 has adjustably secured to it, by a screw and slot connection, a plate 51 having a laterally projecting tappet 52 which operates on an extension 53 of the arm 18 of the bell-crank lever 15, 18 and suflicient lost motion is provided between the contacting surfaces to provide a lowering of the horn merely sufficient to enable the work to be fed freely.

The adjustment of the plate 51 on the arm 47 enables the operator to var at will the extent to which the horn is owered during the feeding movement. To prevent the treadle rod from being moved while the horn is automatically lowered for the feeding of the work the connection between the treadle rod 20 and the arm 18 of the bellcrank lever is constituted by a pin 54 pro-' jecting from the latter that enters a slot 55 in the treadle rod which is normally maintained raised by a spring 56 that connects it with a projection upon the frame.

A stud 57 carried by the treadle rod 20 limits its u ward movement by contacting with the said projection. In this embodi ment of the invention in addition to the hornbeing lowered the presser foot is raised while the work is fed by the needle and. consequently connections are provided between the presser foot andthe horn-lowering device. These connections are ar ranged as follows :The' afore-mentioned 60 by a spring 62 which is disposed between the block 61 and the upper collar 59. The block 61 is connected by a link 63 with the rear end of the presser foot 26.

An abutment 65 on the bracket 31 is provided below the rear arm of the presser lever so that when the presser is raised from the work for the purpose of feeding the rear arm will rest on the abutment and the presser foot will be held stationary clear of the sewing devices, the spring 62 providing for the further downward movement of the horn after the presser foot has been raised.

Any suitable device may be provided to enable the height to which the presser foot is lifted to be varied, such for example as a screw threaded through the rear arm of the presser foot and adapted to engage the abutment 65.

The operation of the machine as far as concerns the present invention no doubt will be understood from the foregoing descrip tion of the different parts but it may be briefly recapitulated as follows :The operator depresses the treadle and thereby through the treadle rod 20 and connected bell-crank lever breaks the toggle and lowers the horn ready for the reception of the work. After this has been placed upon v the horn the treadle is released, the toggle is straightened and the work pressed between the end of the horn and the claw-like end of the presser foot 26, which latter has been depressed through the arm 12, link 63 and other parts connecting the presser foot with the horn. The machine is then started and during the progress of the stitching the work is fed by the transverse movement 0 the needle, the horn being lowered automatically and the presser foot raised at each stitch through the loosely mounted arm 47 and tappet 52 that comprises part of the connections between the needle-actuating lever 46 and the horn-lowering device.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A machine for securing an unlasted shoe upper permanently to a sole off the last having, in combination, a-curved needle and operating mechanism therefor, a horn adapted to extend within the shoe and support successive portions of the sole margin and a member that cooperates with the horn to clamp the marginal portion of the upper against the outer face of the sole and in such relationship to the curved needle that the barbed point of the said needle will pierce through both the margin of the upper and that surface only of the sole that is adjacent thereto to permanently stitch them together, and means by which the horn is lowered and the said clamping member also lifted automatically to permit the feed of the work.

meaeee 2. In a machine for permanently sewing together an unlasted shoe upper and its sole, a needle and its operating mechanism, a horn, a clamping foot cooperating therewith to hold the marginal portion of the upper against the top face of the sole for the needle to pierce through both the margin of the upper and that surface only of the sole that is adjacent thereto, means by which the horn is lowered automatically to permit the 7 feed of the work, and connections from the horn to the clamping foot by which the foot is raised when the horn is lowered.

3. In a machine for permanently sewing together an unlasted shoe upper and its sole, a needle and its operating mechanism, a horn, a clamping foot cooperating therewith to hold the marginal portion of the upper against the top face of the sole for the needle to pierce through both the margin of the upper and that surface only of the sole that is adjacent thereto, means by which the horn is lowered automatically to permit the feed of the work, and connections from the horn to the clamping foot by which the foot may be raised a limited distance as the horn is lowered and thereafter the horn may be further lowered separately.

4. In a machine for permanently sewing together an unlasted shoe upper and its sole, a needle and its operating mechanism, a horn, a clamping foot cooperating therewith to hold the marginal portion of the upper against the top face of the sole for the needle to pierce through both the margin of the upper and that surface only of the sole that is adjacent thereto, and connections from f the needle operating mechanism to the horn by which the horn is depressed for permitting the feed of the work.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a curved needle and its operating mechanism including means to actuate the needle to feed the work, of a clamping foot and a horn and connections by which the clamping foot is raised and also the horn is depressed while the needle is feeding the work to prevent the curved needle from binding the material on either said foot or horn while feeding.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a curved needle and its operating mechanism including means to actuate the needle to feed the work, of a clamping foot and connections from the needle actuating mechanism to the clamping foot by which the foot is raised by the needle actualting mechanism while the needle is feeding the work.

7. In an apparatus for permanently sewing together a shoe upper and its sole, a

curved needle and its operating mechanism and associated stitch forming and setting parts, comblned with a rotary horn arranged to engage the inner side of the sole and support the work relatively to the path of the curved needle for the sewing operation through the margin of the upper and into and out of the upper face of the sole, means to actuate the stitch forming mechanism to effect the feeding of the work, and automatic means to lower and raise the horn in timed relation with the feeding movements. I

8. In an apparatus for permanently sewing together a shoe upper and its sole, a curved needle and its operating mechanism and associated stitch formingand setting parts, combined with a rotary horn arranged to engage the inner side of the sole and support the Work relatively to the path of the curved needle for the sewing operation through the margin of the upper and into and out of the upper face of the sole, means to press the work down upon the horn, and automatic means for depressing the horn and also raising the presser in timed relation with the stitch forming operations to permit work feeding movements.

9. In a machine of the class described,the combination with a needle and its operating mechanism and associated parts for forming and setting stitches and feeding the work, of a horn for supporting the sole and upper in position for the needle to operate upon them, a connection from the stitch forming mechanism to the horn to depress automatically the horn to permit feeding of the work, and a treadle mechanism for depressing the horn to permit insertion of the work, a lost motion connection being formed between the horn and the automatic depressing mechanism to permit depressions of the horn. v

10. In a machine of the class-described, the combinatlon with suitable operating mechanism of a work feeding needle, a horn,

a presser foot and operative connections between the needle, horn and presser foot so arranged that as the feed is effected by the needle the horn is lowered and the presser foot is lifted.

11. In a machine of the class described,

the combination with suitable operating tween the needle and one of said Work holding members so arranged that prior to the needle feed the work is unclamped and held unclamped by the needle operating mechanism during the feed.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specificationin the presence'of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR BATES. ALFRED EDWARD RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK WILLIAM WORTH, WILLIE WILSON. 

